Terms of Devotion
by Lela-of-Bast
Summary: Here it is, the epilogue I promised. Anders showed up at the palace halfway through Kel's squire years, he brought with him news that would forever change the course of her life. Please read and review.
1. The Right Thing

**A/N:** This is AU from page 287 of "Squire," just after Lord Wyldon resigns and takes Owen as his squire. If you don't remember, Joren has just died, Cleon and Prince Roald are newly knighted, and Kel has just two years left before her own Ordeal.

I have not given up on my other story, not completely anyway. More should be along soon. But I thought it was time for a break. Not many people like the Kel/Cleon pairing. This one is definitely different. The first chapter is kind of short, but the next few are almost done, I just have to do some last-minute editing and tweaking.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters, countries, or plot lines that originated in Tamora Pierce's "Protector of the Small" quartet. However, the plot of this story is my own idea. I hope that my readers will enjoy this, and I welcome suggestions or questions.

**Summary:** When Kel's oldest brother shows up at the palace, he has some news that will change her life forever.

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****Terms of Devotion  
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****Chapter One  
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****Midwinter  
****in the 18th year of the reign  
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****Jonathan IV and Thayet, his Queen  
****457  
****Corus  
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**K**el was packing when her door burst open. She was reaching for her sword when she saw that the newcomer was not Burchard, Joren's father, come to cause more trouble, but Owen. His eyes bulged and his curls looked as if he'd been yanking on them. He ignored Jump and the sparrows who greeted him with enthusiasm.

"Kel!" he cried. "Kel, I'm a squire!"

She tried not to giggle and succeeded, barely. "You've been a squire for months."

"Not like _you're_ a squire, not like Neal. Kel, my brain's going to pop! I'm not in service to Sir Myles anymore. Lord Wyldon resigned, and he's going home a while, and come spring he's going to fight Scanrans. With me! He's going to work me like a horse, he says, but Kel, I'll be a squire to a fighting knight! Isn't it the jolliest? And he'll teach me to breed dogs!"

He launched himself across the room and hugged her wildly, then stepped back, looking sheepish. "Um, sorry. I didn't mean to, uh, treat you like a girl or anything."

Kel sank down on her bed, head in hands. She lost the battle to appear serious and laughed until she couldn't catch her breath.

"Well I didn't think it was that funny," Owen said, but nothing could remove the smile from his face.

Kel sat up, suddenly aware of the figures in the doorway. "Anders? What are you doing here?"

"Kel… we need to talk," Anders said slowly.

"Whatever you have to say can be said in the presence of my friends," Kel protested.

"I'm not so sure." Owen nodded to Kel and left the room, giving the appearance that he didn't want to intrude on a private family conversation.

Neal, walking down the hallway, saw Owen creeping into Lord Raoul's study. Coming close to investigate, he saw that the door leading into Kel's room was open only a hair's width. Owen sat on the floor, ear pressed to this crack. If it had been anyone else, the sight would have been comical, but to Neal, this was just normal Owenish behavior. Neal started to say something, but Owen shushed him and leaned forward to hear.

"Kel, there was a fire at Mindelan, not two weeks ago. Our parents … Kel they didn't make it. It left Mindelan with barely a penny. Kel we need you to return home and marry."

Kel was speechless. She sank slowly down onto the edge of the bed. Tears pricked the edges of her eyes as she thought about her dear father and mother. It was minutes before she even thought about what it meant for her.

The marriage! To leave her training now, with only two years left- it was unthinkable.

Everything in her being was crying out for her to shout "NO!" and run. But Kel didn't. She couldn't. She could not, would not, abandon her family. Not when they needed her.

"I'll do it," she whispered at last.

"It is the right thing, Kel," Anders said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Leave me be," she ordered, pulling away. "I'm still a Squire of the Realm."

"I'll get everything in order. I just hope your fantasy life hasn't completely destroyed any chance we have of making a good wife of you," he said, pulling the door closed behind him. Kel, seized by grief and rage, charged at the door, pounding it with her fists. She sank to the ground in tears, convulsing more than she had ever before.

**B**y the time that Raoul returned to his rooms, the two squires that had eavesdropped at the door were long gone. As he snuffed out the candles left burning for him in the study, he heard sniffling from Kel's room. His knock received no answer, so he cracked the door.

"Kel?" The Squire was curled on the floor, behind her door, tracks running down her face where tears had trailed.

Raoul had no children. He didn't know how to be a father. But he learned that night, helping her to her feet, and letting her cry and babble out the story until she fell asleep, exhausted by her outburst.

"I'm sorry, Kel," he said, slipping out to his own rooms.


	2. Endings and Beginnings

**A/N: **Thank you all so much for your reviews.

**Elemental-girl**: Thanks for your review. **Sunkissed Guacamole**: Anders is the heir, so he gets Mindelan, which is why he's so concerned that it's got no money. Thank you for taking the time to review. **HyperKathryne:** Thanks for reviewing. Anders meant that since Kel had been training as a knight instead of as a lady, he hoped that there would be a man who would want to marry her. **Haven:** Thank you. **Lady Swathi**: So me and Buri aren't the only ones? Thanks for your complements. **Nutz Nina**: This is a multi-chapter story! Yay! Thanx for you review. **KiwiNimrod**: Thank you. I will.

**To All: **I decided to do a quick update, since I had the next chapter ready. Enjoy!(And tomorrow is my birthday, so please review and make it special!) Thanx again, -L.O.B.

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****Terms of Devotion  
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****Chapter Two  
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****Midwinter  
****457  
****Corus  
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"**W**hat is it, Kel?"

Cleon of Kennan knew that something was wrong when he first saw Kel. He had pulled her into the shadows of the corner for a kiss, but she pulled away, and wouldn't look him in the eyes.

"What is it?" he replied. She looked up with tear-stained eyes. Her story spilled out as quickly as the tears.

"I have to do it, Cleon. You don't abandon family," she said in conclusion.

"I can't say I blame you," he said. "I'd do the same for Kennan."

"I wish it didn't have to end like this," Kel said, leaning into his embrace.

"Kel, I've orders to northern border patrols. I leave this afternoon," he said quietly.

"Then this is it," Kel said. "This is good-bye for good." Cleon leaned forward and gave her a long kiss that sent vibes down to her toes.

"Good bye, Kel," he whispered at last, squeezing her hand as he left. Neither one of them had dared to say the forbidden 'L' word.

Kel took a deep breath. She thought she would melt with tears, but her eyes remained dry. After a few thoughtful moments of deep, shaky breathing, Kel left the shadowy corner and headed towards her room.

_**D**uke Baird of Queenscove, chief of the realm's healers, was a tall, weary-looking man. A dark gray over-robe protected the black velvet tunic and hose he wore in mourning for the two sons he had lost. His eyes were a darker green than Neal's set deep under straight brows. There was a red tint to his brown hair that was absent in his son's, but they had the same nose and the same direct gaze. While Neal paced, Baird rested big hands on Kel's shoulders, easing her stiffness and taking the edge off of her pain, as he did an assessment of her injuries. At last he let go of her and rubbed his hands._

"_I am impressed, young lady," he told her with a wry smile. "You have been royally pounded." Kel smiled at him. _

"_You should see the other fellows."_

"_There!" cried Neal, holding up his hands. "You see what I have to deal with!"_

"_You may have noticed my son has an endless capacity for drama," Baird told Kel. She couldn't help it: she grinned, and winced as her split lip opened._

"_Ah," said the healer duke, "we can't have this." He touched an icy finger to Kel's lip. The hurt vanished. Next he touched the cuts in her eyebrows and on her hands; they went cold, then painless. The swellings on her knuckles shrank. Scraped places scabbed, as if Duke Baird had put three days' worth of healing into her._

"_So much for chivalrous ideals, eh?" Neal demanded. "Three pages in their third year of training jump a first-year – a first-_season_ page-"_

"_I started it," Kel informed her friend._

"_Tell me another," he snapped._

"_I did, on my honor." Kel looked at Neal's father. "I think Lord Wyldon just wanted my nose seen to, your grace. Not the rest."_

"_Since he sent you without written instructions, I may exercise my judgment," Baird told her. "I will indeed see to your nose. You've also pulled muscles inn your left side – I can mend that and reduce the swelling around your eye. It will not do if you were to miss training because you could not see. I can also ease that headache."_

"_What possessed you?" demanded Neal. He seemed as vexed with this matter-of-fact discussion as by Kel's story. Baird listened to him and Kel as their conversation flew back and forth. _

"_I didn't like the shape of Joren's nose," Kel said with a sigh. _

_Neal stared at her, eye bulging. Finally he said, "If you meant to impress the Stump, you wasted your time. Don't you realize that he'll never let you stay?" Kel looked down. _

"_He could change his mind," she insisted. "You always think the worst of him."_

"_I _what_?" Neal began to produce a series of outraged noises that included squawks and whistling inhaled breaths. He sounded he had when he was a young child having a tantrum, not like a fifteen-year-old who'd been raised at court and at the university._

"_If you cannot be quiet while I work," his father told him patiently, "go into the waiting room."_

_Neal marched out. A moment later, they hear him arguing with himself. Duke Baird closed the examining room door and placed his hands on either side of Keladry's head. "This may sting a bit," he warned. He finished Kel's healings, making polite small talk. _

_When at last Baird opened the door to his waiting room, Neal stood in the middle of it, hands on hips. "I've decided," he announced. "She's insane. The entire palace is insane." His father lifted reddish brown eyebrows, amused. _

"_Does this mean that you have come to your senses and will return to the university?" he asked mildly. Neal choked, glared at his father, and stalked out of the room. _

"_I didn't think so," Baird remarked softly. "Keladry I would like to say I hope we only meet socially in the future. Somehow, I don't think that will be the case." Kel grinned at him. _

"_You're probably right, your grace."_

"_Don't mind my boy. He gets…overenthusiastic, but he has a good heart."_

"_I know _that_," Kel reassured the duke, and yawned._

"_To bed," the healer ordered. "You need the sleep."_

_Kel bowed, covering another yawn. Duke Baird watched her run off down the hall after Neal, thinking that the he hadn't seen such spirit in a page since the Lioness._

Duke Baird smiled as the messenger he sent left the room. He had known from the day that Neal had first brought Kel to him, nose bloodied and broken, that the pair was meant to be together. But they were both far too stubborn for their own good.

Destiny, it seemed was curing them of it.

"**K**el?" called a voice from outside. It was Anders. There were still three and a half hours left before she was to leave with her brother. She was _not _going to open the door now.

"Keladry, do you want me to say my piece out loud for all to hear?"

"I'm coming," she mumbled. Slowly she got up, and went to pull the door open, but only enough to see out of. "What? If you've come to tell me to be ready, I know."

"Keladry, I came to tell you of the marriage offer we received." Kel, shocked out of her grudge, opened the door and admitted her brother, butterflies spinning through her stomach.

"Do you know what this is?" Anders said, holding up a sheet of paper with a letter penned on it. In the morning light from her window, Kel could see through the paper. The handwriting on the page looked familiar. Where had she seen it? "Duke Baird of Queenscove wants to secure you as bride for his son, Nealan. Do you know the boy?"

Kel nodded, breath tight in her throat. She couldn't have said more if she wanted to. The handwriting was Duke Baird's? And he wanted her? To marry Neal? Kel sat down, afraid that her shaking legs would collapse, and waited for her brother to go on.

"His grace said that Nealan would not be able to marry for at least two more years. Truth be told, Kel, I thought we were going to have to send you to the convent to learn lady ways, and that would take two or three years at best. And then try to find a suitor? I think, and Conal and Inness agree, that we should accept this. Kel?"

Kel was still stuck on the fact that the offer came from Duke Baird. Neal must have had some say in this.

"Why are you seeking my opinion? You will do what you think is best anyways."

"Kel, if we agree to this proposal, you could stay and earn your shield. The Duke said that Queenscove has no use for another maiden, but a lady knight would be of real value to them."

Kel's mind raced. _My shield! _she thought. Kel still didn't want to be married off, but in some ways, two years was a long time. She could still change their minds.

"As you wish, Anders," she said softly.

"No, Kel, as _you_ wish."


	3. The Conspiracy

**A/N: **Thank you all so much for your reviews.

**Sunkissed Guacamole**: Thank you for singing! And reviewing! **queen-of-sapphires**: I wanted to make Baird seem almost tricky, kind of all-knowing. If he's a little OOC(and _I_ don't think that he is, really), I didn't think anyone would mind. Thanks for reviewing. **elemental-girl:** I'm not sure what you meant by phrasing, but Kel has a calm Yamani mask. Thanx for reading. **Ossini:** I like Baird too. Thanks for your time. **Dancer4eva:** Thank you for reviewing! **x17SkmBdrchicczxx:** Thank you. **Thing of um thingyness:** Should I be worried! (Thanks for R and Ring!) **KiwiNimrod: **Thanx. Please keep reading. **magewhisper**: That's me: lelaofbast, Lady of the Unexpected Twist! Thanks (x 2 for 2 reviews!) **ratherbswimmin:** Thanx for your review. **Annemarie Aspasia:** Thanx. **Tidsmagi:** Thank you! (Late!) **Nutz Nina**: I (heart) KNs too! Thanks for revewing! **HyperKathryne:** Here you go… **Princess-Of-Everything:** Thank you! **Haven:** Appreciation is nice. Thank you. **Kings Lioness:** The more I re-read POTS, the more I like the KN pairing. Thanks for your review. **Dracorium:** Thank you! Please keep reading.

**To All: **Several comments were made on my long flashbacks. Sorry. I got used to doing them because I dabble in the Diagnosis Murder fandom, and some of those people liked long excerpts from the episodes. I forgot that that _is_ a little (um… I should try a LOT) different from a book. I apologize, and will try to cut back.

Anyways, please enjoy chapter three of 'Terms of Devotion:'

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**Terms of Devotion**

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**Chapter Three**

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**Midwinter **

**457**

**Corus **

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_**T**here he is_, Kel thought, looking down the corridor. Neal was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest. Owen and Merric were nearby. Without looking at the latter two, Kel marched straight up to her target.

"Neal, why did you do it?" Owen and Merric could see that this was not something they wanted to be present for, and quickly backed away, fleeing down the stairway. Neal suddenly looked as though he wanted to follow.

"Kel…"

"Why, Neal?"

"Because you want your shield," he blurted out at last. "Look, can we talk about this someplace private, please?" The two squires went back to Kel's room. Neal sent four small balls of green light up into the corners of the room, sealing them from any listening spells.

"What was that for?"

"I hate eavesdroppers," Neal said. "Now, to your first question."

"You asked your father to arrange a marriage between us so that I can earn my shield?" Kel accused.

"Yes and no. Kel, I've come too far to lose you now. We've been together from the start. I can't finish without you. Just think of it as me saving your neck from the noose."

"I can't help but feel that you've added your own head instead," Kel said.

"Why can't you accept the fact that someone might just want to help you, Kel? That someone may care enough to do what they can for you?" Kel was silent. She knew he was right. So did Neal. "Besides, Father had been bugging me to make a choice so that he could begin the negotiations. Now he'll leave me alone for awhile."

"So…this is all just pretend? We don't have to go through with it?"

"Of course not," Neal said. Something inside of Kel twinged sadly. She shook it off and sat down.

"I feel deceitful," she said.

"There are a few people who should know," Neal said. "Like Lord Raoul, and my father, …Owen."

"Owen!" Kel repeated. "Owen can't keep a secret to save his life!"

"But he'll feel left out and lonely if we don't let him in on it."

"Think about what you just said, Neal. It makes no sense," Kel said a smile playing on her lips for the first time in days.

"Ha! I knew I could do it. I knew I could make you smile." Kel felt her cheeks glowing red. She looked down at her lap as Neal sat beside her. "There is one thing I must give you if we are to play a convincing charade." Out of his pocket came a small black pouch.

Kel opened it, curiosity rising. A small gold ring fell into her palm. Black gems were cut into the base, with one red stone rising above the middle.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"It was my mother's. Father had it made for her the day after he met her, and carried it with him, offering it several times before she finally accepted it," Neal said.

"You can not give me this," Kel said, holding her hand, palm open, out to him. He closed her fingers around the ring.

"Consider it a loan, my beloved," Neal said. "Now, are you ready to begin this travesty?"

Kel smiled, slipping the ring on her finger.

…..

**L**ord Raoul and Owen were both let in on Kel's secret. She had thought that telling Owen would be a mistake, but he seemed to have learned how to hold his tongue.

"A conspiracy. How jolly!"

Kel had reason to smile again. She was going to be a knight! Nothing would stop her now. _Ha ha, Anders_, she thought as she rode off with her knight master.

The Own went ahead of the progress, scouting the road with Buri and two other groups of the Riders. Three weeks later, they were in Persopolis. Kel enjoyed herself at these banquets. Lady Alanna and her husband, George Cooper, caught up. Kel and Neal were guests instead of servers.

While they were in the desert, the matron of Kel's sparrows, Crown, passed away. She spent the day in quiet mourning for her friend.

Neal and the others had wondered where she was, and hearing that she hadn't eaten all day, they took her to supper and filled her up, giving their sympathy. Two days later, Crown's mate, Freckle, passed as well. Kel buried them together, this time with Neal's help.

Days slowly passed into a vague pattern, sometimes breaking to lead the First Company to help a town that was destroyed by an earthquake, but always bringing them back to the king's heels. Kel learned quickly to stay out of Lord Raoul's way after he had been reprimanded by the king.

Occasionally she saw Neal, but Lady Alanna kept him busy- and well away from anything that swayed. It would make her seasick. When he was around, Neal played his part well, bringing Kel little gifts, and taking her for moonlit strolls. When they were alone, the farce was dropped, and they talked of all mater of things, and their friendship grew more rock-solid than ever.

Time passed quickly. At that rate, their Ordeals would be upon them in no time at all.


	4. Ordeals

**A/N: **Thank you all so much for your reviews.

**Nutz Nina: **Thanks. Keep reading! **Kings Lioness:** Thanks for reviewing! **x17SkmBrdchiczxx: **Aw, shucks. Thanks for your time. **Irish Violinist:** Thanx for reviewing. **nativemildmage:** Thank you! Please keep readin'. q**ueen-of-sapphires:** thanks for reading! **Fantasylvr:** Thanks for your review! **Annmarie Aspasia:** Thanks for R &Ring. **Silver Sky17:** Cute, really… **ari:** I like to stick close ot the books. Thanks for reviewing. **Hannah:** Thanks. Keep reading! **passivor:** Thank you. **dancer4eva:** I think I fixed 'that little annoyance' in the new chapter! Yay! **ratherbswimmin:** thanks. Sweet is good. **Firesangel121**: Thanks for reading! **sunkissed guacamole:** Here's the new chapter.. Thanks for r and ring. **Noc and NC:** I never minded Cleon. I actually liked him in the books. (Ducks flying tomatoes) but I noticed that I was one of like, two, and most don't like him. As someone famous once said, 'Give the people what they want." Thanks for your review. **White-wolf2:** Thanks. **Pinky: **Yay for KN! **(If I missed anyone, I apologize!)**

**To All: **Thanks for waiting for the next chapter. I'm only planning three or four more chapters until the end, and those should (SHOULD) be along shortly. And now, please enjoy chapter four of "Terms of Devotion."

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****Terms of Devotion  
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****Chapter Four  
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****Midwinter  
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**K**el was damp and chilled, but nothing could make her move. She sat vigil, and in the morning., she would enter the Chamber of Ordeal, just as Neal had done only days before.

Kel tried to think about the code of chivalry, as instructed, but her thoughts kept floating back to Neal and the pact that they had made two years ago. It was now void due to a new pack they had made the evening after Neal's Ordeal.

_Neal stumbled out. His hair and the undyed cotton garments he wore were dark with sweat. His face was gray, his green eyes hectic and red-rimmed, as if he'd wept. _

_Kel smiled at him as the Lioness helped him through the room of people to a place where he could rest. That evening he was knighted. After the ceremony, Duke Baird had a rather large party arranged. It was held in one of the palace's smaller ballrooms, but it was still a magnificent feast. Although she was present, Kel stayed away from Lady Alanna. With just days left before her own Ordeal, she wouldn't have anyone saying she had been magic-ed to get her shield._

_She wandered away from the crowd, midnight blue silk trailing behind her. A door with thick yellow curtains draped gracefully around it led to a balcony. Kel gazed below her at a garden maze, happy that heights did not bother her anymore, until she heard footsteps._

"_Kel?" It was Neal. She turned to smile at him and was swept into a kiss. "I love you," he whispered, pulling her close. _

"_Neal?" Kel said questioningly. Neal stepped back and took both of her hands in his._

"_I love you and I want to marry you, Keladry of Mindelan," he declared. Kel took a deep breath and looked out towards the moon. She realized that the feelings she had as a page had never really gone away. Over the past two years, Kel had gotten comfortable in their mock engagement. She didn't want it to end. _

"_Really, Neal?" she asked, to be sure that he was serious._

"_Really, really," he said, pulling her to him again. Kel let the kiss vibrate down to her toes as she slid her arms around his neck._

"_I love you too."_

A hand touched Kel's shoulder, calling her into the present. The door to the Chamber of Ordeal was open. Calmly, she walked into the small room.

…..

**A**fter Kel was knighted, Lord Raoul treated them to supper at one of the city's finest eating houses. Though it was late when they returned to the palace, Neal and Kel opted to walk back. They wandered through the streets, hand in hand. Kel knew that she had to tell him about the mission the Chamber had given her, but she also knew that she was forbidden to speak of her Ordeal. Or, since the vision of the Nothing Man came after the tribulations, was it not considered a part of her actual Ordeal?

"You did it, Kel," Neal said. Kel smiled at him, but she looked distracted. "What is it?"

"Neal, what would you say if I told you that I have a mission," she asked, knowing that she had to tell Neal what had happened during her Ordeal without actually telling him.

"What kind of a mission… the Chamber?" Kel didn't answer Neal's question, but the look on her face was confirmation enough.

"I don't know when, or where," Kel explained in brief, "But it will find me." Neal sighed. They were coming close to one of the castle's side gates. He turned and took her hands in his.

"Then we'll wait," he said. Kel gave him a grateful hug, and Neal walked her to her room.

Kel sank into her bed. The powerful feeling of accomplishment chased away her exhaustion. Thoughts of her new knighthood and Chamber-assigned task trickled in and out of her head. When Kel finally drifted off, several hours had passed. A smile was on her face.

From across the palace, in his family's suite of rooms, Neal was awake and thinking as well. He wasn't exactly sure what Kel had seen in the Chamber of Ordeal, but he understood her reluctance to speak of it. Whatever it was, he had to wait for her to finish it. He let out a long sigh, and rolled over.

"Good night, my Lady Knight."


	5. More Endings and Beginnings

**A/N: **Thank you all so much for your reviews.

**Sunkissed guacamole: **I think you'll survive. But here you go. (Geez, some people are vultures.) Just kidding! Please R&R! **elemental-girl:** I like to think that something in Neal's Ordeal made him realize that he loved Kel. Thanks for reading! **Nutz Nina:** Well I didn't want to do a very long out take from the book. But now that I really think (something I find difficult) about it, you're probably right. Thanks for R and Ring. I appreciate when people tell me what they truly think. And I won't chain you up. **pinky:** Yeah, Neal is great. Please keep reading. **x17SkmBrdchiczxx: **Yay fluff! Keep reading please! **thingy of um thingyness: **Here you go! Thanks for reviewing. **nativewildmage:** Happy dances are always good. Thanx for reading. **The Hobbit Lass:** I'm glad that it's original. It's hard to read the same story over and over again. Keep reading! **limegirl62:** Are you dead? I sure hope not. (I'd like another review!) Um, I mean, your health is very important. Here's the next chapter. **Justcallmebubba:** Yeah, it was kind of fast, but the chapter spanned 2 years. **queen-of-sapphires:** Thanks! Please keep reading. **ratherbswimmin:** Thank you for reading and reviewing.

**To All:** IRRELEVANT TO THIS PARTICULAR FIC (Just pretend like this paragraph is a billboard.): My sister and I have just published our first chapter of our first story together, under the pen name "LADIESofQUEENSCOVEandJESSLAW. And my sister (trollseatfish) uploaded her first story. We'd love it if you'd R and R.

**To All:** VERY RELEVANT TO THIS FIC: This is the last full chapter of this story. All that's left now is an epilogue, which will be up shortly. I have another story in the works, and that will also start soon. Thank you for reading. –LOB

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****Terms of Devotion  
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****Chapter Five  
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****Midwinter  
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****Corus  
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**N**early two years after her Ordeal, Kel rode back into Corus. She had completed her mission: the nothing man was dead. The road had been long and weary, but at last Kel was coming home. It was odd that the palace seemed like home.

But Kel had spent the better part of her life there, with her friends. And Neal.

Now their wedding was upon them. Through letters, Neal's mother, and Lalasa, her former maid, Kel had managed to plan the wedding between her duties at New Hope. When she would collapse at night out of weariness, Neal took over for her.

Lalasa, of course, had designed a dress for Kel, asking over and over again for her measurements, although they did not change.

Kel was ready to settle down for awhile. War was not what she had dreamed of. She had seen more kraken then she ever wanted to see in ten lifetimes, much less two years. And Neal had healed more refugees than he had formerly believed was humanly possible.

As they rode into the palace that they had missed so greatly, Neal and Kel smiled at each other.

…..

**N**eal's arm was around Kel's waist, his other hand holding hers. But she didn't feel the least bit romantic. In preparation of the wedding, Kel had to learn something she hadn't ever thought would be useful- dance.

Owen held Kel's glaive. With the base of it he tapped a rhythm of a waltz on the floor.

"One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three," he bellowed. "Back straight, two, three, eyes forward, two, three, spin, two, three!" Kel stepped on Neal's toes for the thousandth time.

Her hands went up to her face in frustration, and she turned away, breaking free of Neal's grip.

"That's it! I will never learn to dance!"

"You know the men's part just fine," Owen said.

"Because that's what pages are taught. Lord Wyldon didn't think give me special instruction in that area," Kel said ruefully.

"Owen's right, Kel. You can be taught; you learned to lead just fine," Neal said.

"Then _you_ take the ladies' part at the wedding," Kel said stubbornly, sitting down with a cup full of cool water. She didn't think that she would ever work up a sweat on the dance floor. Feet appeared in her view.

"Stand up," a voice commanded. Kel looked up into the face of the Lioness.

"You'd do well to obey," Neal mumbled from across the room. He was well acquainted with Lady Alanna's wrath.

"I had the same problem after eight years of pretending to be a boy, and who knows how many years after that with no practice." Kel reluctantly stood. She didn't want to step on the feet of the realm's greatest knight. The Lioness gripped her and nodded to Owen, who began to tap the glaive again.

"Now Kel. 'Tis not that difficult. One, two, three," Alanna said. Kel felt her toes under her own. She started to pull back, but Alanna's grip was like iron. "Keep going. George walks all over my feet when we dance; my toes are steel." Thinking of the Lioness and her husband dancing at a formal event, Kel once again moved forward when she should have taken a step back. "Stop watching your feet.," Alanna chided. "That's your problem. Shut your eyes. Feel the beat of the music."

Kel closed her eyes and pulled the rhythm and the order of the dance steps into her head. She counted silently with Owen until the beat of the glaive stopped.

"Open your eyes, you've done it," Neal said. Kel obeyed, and looked up to see his grin. Alanna stepped away, giving Kel's hand to her former squire. She tilted her head to them both and left.

Kel smiled to herself as Neal led her through the dance steps once more. But the lesson did not last long. Only days were left until the wedding, and Kel was surprised to feel nervous tension building up inside her.

…..

"**D**o you, Keladry of Mindelan, take this man, Nealan of Queenscove, to be your husband? Do you swear to love, honor, and obey him until death?"

"I so swear." Kel answered the priest quietly. Neal's eyes sung as he stepped towards Kel and gently brushed her lips with his own. The cheers of Merric and Owen rang out above the others in the crowd. Kel broke away, blushing behind her grin.

Many of Kel's friends were present, Prince Roald, Shinkokami, his betrothed Yamani princess, Iden, Warrick, and Lalasa among them. Raoul and Buri and the Lioness and her husband patted Kel and Neal on the back. Anders skirted the crowd, avoiding Kel. Neal's parents glowed with joy, their hope of an heir for their son restored.

After the banquet, Raoul, Owen, and others who had had too much ale began to call for a dance. Kel grinned as Neal walked around her chair to help her to her feet. Yards and yards of white, shimmering fabric were made into her skirts, and she had trouble managing them.

Neal knew this. He smiled at Kel as he led her onto the dance floor. Visions of her in breeches and tunic, running across New Hope played in his head. He could hardly believe that this delicate lady, flowers in hair, could ride the meanest horse in Tortall and twirl a heavy Yamani glaive as if it were a toothpick.

But onlookers couldn't tell. To them, Keladry of Queenscove was the perfect wife. If only she'd give up her crazy escapade of knighthood.

Kel smiled at Neal, blocking out all the people around her. Kel was happy. Neal would let her be her own person. And he had sworn to Kel that Mindelan would be safe. She felt like the luckiest bride, getting the best of both worlds. But as she pondered the turn of events she realized that, in a weird way, none of this would have happened without her brother.

After the first song, Neal asked his sister for a spot on her dance-card, and Kel went to find Anders. He was sitting with Conal and Inness and Kel's sister-in-laws. She smiled warmly and thanked them for their congratulations. Then she turned to her oldest brother.

"Since I have been robbed of my father, will you give me the honor of a dance?" Kel asked. Anders stood and smiled.

"Of course, Keladry." They danced in silence. When the waltz was nearly done, Kel looked up into her brother's eyes.

"After our parents died, and you arranged this marriage, I was very angry. I treated you like an enemy. I'm sorry. It was wrong of me," she said quietly.

"So you'll be happy then?" Anders asked.

"Yes," Kel said, glancing across the room. Neal was dancing with his sister's six-year-old daughter, Willa.

"Well, now that I'm sure of that, I should attend to my wife," Anders said, bowing. He stepped forward and kissed Kel's hand. Then he turned and walked away.

"Anders?" Kel called behind him. He stopped and looked back at her. Kel glanced once more at Neal, who had lifted little Willa into the air for a spin. He felt Kel gaze and locked eyes with her. Kel grinned and returned her eyes to her brother. "Thank you."


	6. The Promised Epilogue

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews.

_(LOB takes stage, cameras and lights trained on her face as she gives her acceptance speech.) _"I'd like to thank all the little people who reviewed. I couldn't have done it without you!" … **sunkissed guacamole:** That has to be, like, the best review I ever got! Thank you SO much! And yes, you spelled 'epilogue' right. (I didn't, the spell-checker just fixed it!) And don't worry. I DO type fast. (Speedy Gonzales!) I worked on the Mavis Beacon program for 2 years, and I got to, like, 70 words per minute. Thanks again for reading. **Nutz Nina:** Aww… Thanks for your review. **nativewildmage:** I'm sorry that u r sick. (_offers over a bowl of chicken soup_) Feel better soon! I'm glad that my last chap. Could make you feel a little better. Thanks for R and Ring. **The Hobbit Lass:** Thanks for your review. And don't worry, I have a brand new story coming soon! **i-love-vash:** Thank you. **Dancer4eva:** Thanks! My sister and I called our story 'There's No Place Like Home.' I'm not sure I like the title. We may change it, but for now, it stays. Numair uses one of those magic words of power and Kel, Neal, Owen, and Tobe are transported to our time! It's SO not boring! It'd be great if you would read. **x17SkmBdrchicczxx: **Here's the epilogue! I hope you like it! **queen-of-sapphires: **I didn't think that Kel would hold a grudge either. Thanks for r and r ing. f**iresangel21:** Thanks for reading! **Jamie Lynn:** Thanks for your review. **Confusedknight:** Thank you kindly for the complement. Please keep readin' my work. **Pinky:** Sorry, Neal's taken! Thanks for reading.

**To All:** I have a new story that is on the way, called "Redeeming Raoul." It's an (semi) original idea, with lots of great flashbacks(original, not text from the books). (Just pretend that that was another billboard!)

Now, about _this _story: I have a scene in here that I pictured from LOTR: the Two Towers. When Aragorn walks into the King's Keep at Helm's Deep… But it's very different here… I'm babling. This makes NO sense. Oh well. Please review, and read "Redeeming Raoul".

Without further ado, please enjoy, the epilogue of "Terms of Devotion."

(_Sniffles. _This is so sad. I'm almost crying. This is one of the few stories I've started that I actually finished. I think I need a tissue…)

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
****Terms of Devotion  
****------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
****Epilogue  
****------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
****March  
****462  
****Queenscove  
****------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**K**el opened the double doors of Neal's study with both arms. Three months of marriage had taught Kel that her husband could usually be found in this small library. The room was filled with books and papers. It was just one of the many rooms of the Queenscove manor. Kel was happy there; the climate was nice, and as Owen had commented during the first of his visits "It's ginormous!"

As Kel stood, holding the doors open, the dark wood framed her. Kel was wearing a dark green robe, open over her nightgown. She mock-glared at her husband.

At the desk, Neal stood, smiling at her.

"Good morning, my love," he said, though it was already well past noon. Kel didn't say anything, only walked steadily towards him. She didn't stop until her arms were around his neck in a passionate embrace.

As his hand brushed Kel's stomach, some of his gift leaped from his fingers. Neal pulled away suddenly. Kel grinned.

"I have news for you, Dear Man," she said.

"I felt it, Kel. I know."

"I'm pregnant," she whispered. Neal kissed her again. Then he took her hands and led her back to his chair, pulling her onto his lap.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Kel said, kissing Neal back.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
****Six Months Later…  
****------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"**P**ush, Kel," Neal coached from her side. The young couple had spent six long months planning and preparing, but now, when the baby was coming, they still didn't feel ready.

"I am!" Kel said through gritted teeth.

"You can do this," Neal said, readjusting his grip on Kel's hand.

"I've got an idea," Kel said between rhythmic breaths. "Why don't you have the baby, and I'll sit there making obnoxious comments." Neal's father smiled at the argument. He remembered one much the same when his own son was born.

Before Kel could brace herself, another contraction rushed through her body. Within minutes, a cry was heard, quiet at first, but growing steadily louder.

"Congratulations. You have a daughter," Baird said. Neal shouted, and Kel laughed in joy, her breathing slowly returning to normal. The healer set about getting Kel and her baby cleaned up, then quietly left the room, to tell his wife thehappy news.

Kel down at the baby girl in her arms. Neal scooted up beside her and kissed her forehead. Then he gazed down at his daughter.

"She's so beautiful," Kel breathed. She looked up at Neal, as he wrapped his arm around her and stroked the baby's face with his finger. "What should we name her?"

"Ilane?" he offered. Tears welled up in Kel's eyes.

"Ilane of Queenscove. It's perfect, Neal," Kel said. "Thank you."

"No, thank you. You didn't have to have a baby, you know," Neal said.

"So now you tell me," Kel returned, a weary smile on her face. Lane's tiny digits curled around Kel's fingers. She kissed her daughter softly. "I'm so tired."

"Rest, Kel. Just rest. You've earned it."

Neal took the baby from his wife, and carried her over to a chair near the window. Even though she was less than an hour old, Ilane was the most beautiful thing Neal had ever seen. She had tiny blue eyes, with hints of green hiding in them, and a soft, brown fuzz on her head. As she yawned, Neal saw Kel's nose, and his chin. Finally, as the baby fell into a sleep, Neal saw Kel's Yamani mask face.

He grinned and looked up at his wife. Judging from the rise and fall of her chest, Kel was fast asleep. He rocked Ilane slowly. Just as he was about to doze off himself, Neal heard Kel's voice murmuring. She was talking in her sleep.

"I hope…Irnai was right…. Ilane…daughter…be a knight." Whatever sleepiness Neal had felt vanished with his realization of what Kel meant. The child-seer had said that Ilane would be a knight? Neal looked at his baby, resisting the urge to shake Kel awake and make her explain.

He thought of everything Kel had been through, all the trials of her probation and page years, and the rumors told during her time as a squire. He stood and paced the room. How could his sweet, beautiful baby want that kind of a life?

Neal returned to her side at the cradle. As he gazed at his daughter, Ilane smiled in her sleep. He realized that whatever her decision was, he wanted her to be happy. Besides, he had ten years to worry about whether or not she wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps.

"And I'll enjoy every minute of it," he said, returning to Kel's side. She stirred long enough to smile at him, then fell back into a deep dreamless sleep. Neal kissed her cheek and settled his head beside hers.

"Sweet-sleep, my loves," he whispered, joining them in slumber.

**THE END**


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